MERCEDES-BENZ LAUNCHES FULLY ELECTRIC, LUXURIOUS EQV

The new Mercedes-Benz EQV promises a new era for the luxury people mover, combining lower daily running and scheduled servicing costs with a deluxe experience according to the luxury car brand. Constructed under the company’s electric vehicle division (EV), the EQV has been designed to meet the needs of both family buyers and professional drivers seeking a more environmentally friendly way to transport up to seven people in spacious comfort and trademark Mercedes-Benz style. The latest member of the MercedesEQ family combines low emission mobility with high functionality and aesthetic design.

Luxurious ambience extends to the driver and front-seat passenger with power-adjustable seats equipped with memory settings, lumbar support and seat heating. There’s also the MBUX infotainment system which operates audio, telephony, navigation and vehicle settings, with many popular functions able to be voice-activated by a simple “Hey Mercedes” greeting followed by a command.

All functions, including navigation, can also be accessed via a 10.25-inch central touchscreen.

Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Diane Tarr, said that with its high roofline, generous proportions and dual electrically-operated sliding doors, the EQV manages to be both practical and luxurious at the same time.

“For large families or transfer operators, the EQV offers all the space and practicality they need, but with less impact on the environment, the potential to lower running costs and no compromise on luxury,” she said.

“This means that it offers all of the typical qualities of the brand and category that our customers expect, whether as a family car or a shuttle vehicle.”

Clever packaging of the high-voltage battery underneath the floor eliminates any possibility of compromising on space for the driver and up to six additional passengers. The standard configuration features two armchairs in the second row and a three-berth bench seat in the third. As a no-cost option, the EQV can also be specified with four individual leather armchairs in the rear compartment.

Pre-entry climate control is an EVspecific feature that can be used to preset the desired cabin temperature for a more comfortable start to journeys, and can be activated via the instrument cluster or the MBUX system. Other features and displays available via the EQ tile in the MBUX’s main menu include the charging current, energy flow and consumption histogram. The media display can also be used to operate the navigation and charge functions, as well as the driving modes. The EQV’s practical credentials also extend to exceptional storage and flexibility, with a configurable space capable of accomodating up to 1,030 litres of cargo.

Powering the EQV is a single e-motor, sending up to 150kW of power and 365nM of torque to the front wheels. The 90kWh battery delivers an indicative range of up to 418km and uses 26.32kWh per 100km. Thanks to a DC charging capacity of up to 110kW, top-ups from ten to 80 per cent can be achieved at a rapid charging facility in approximately 45 minutes. The positioning of the lithium-ion battery pack beneath the floor contributes to a lower centre of gravity which improves the handling characteristics, while standard AIRMATIC air suspension takes care of the luxurious experience with high-quality suspension and damping comfort that continuously adapts to the prevailing road conditions. There are also five levels of energy recuperation that recover energy during deceleration. In the most active mode, D-, deceleration and recuperation is at its strongest and therefore requires less manual braking while maximising driving range. The D, D+ and D++ modes progressively reduce active deceleration, while DAuto uses a radar sensor to automatically adjust the recuperation level to the traffic situation.

Included with every EQV purchase is a one-year complimentary Chargefox subscription, providing customers with one year of unlimited charging at all Chargefox ultra-rapid stations and participating fast charging stations around Australia.

Ford Announces Platinum Ranger After Record Sales

Ford Australia has revealed the topspec Ranger Platinum. Considered a further expansion of the Ford Ranger line-up, the Ranger Platinum takes the Pick-Up to new heights according to Ford, combining the capability and versatility of Ranger with unique styling and premium features for customers that value outstanding comfort and generous specification to support their active work and family needs.

“We listened hard to our customers throughout the design and development of the Next-Generation Ranger, and in doing so we reinvented the Pick-Up Truck segment,” said Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia President and CEO,.

“We’ve seen growth in high-end variants in this segment over recent years, so we challenged ourselves to create a vehicle that provides all of our customer’s wants and needs.”

Ranger Platinum is available exclusively in five-seat, double cab specification, and is powered by

Ford’s 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, producing 184kW and 600 Nm of torque. Power is delivered through the Ranger’s electronically controlled full-time four-wheel drive system, combined with Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission.

Like the whole Ranger line-up, maximum braked towing weight is rated to 3,500kg.

“Ranger Platinum is focused on owners who need a work truck that combines both premium luxury for the family, and the flexibility of a work truck for their business,” said Ian Foston, Ranger Chief Platform Engineer. “We’ve really focused on creating a premium exterior and goldclass interior experience with Ranger Platinum.”

Key exterior enhancements include a unique grille, 20-inch alloy wheels, ‘Platinum’ hood badging, Silk Chrome trims, Matrix LED headlamps, a damped tailgate which makes lowering the tailgate effortless, and Ford’s ingenious Flexible Rack System (FRS)2. Ranger Platinum will also be available in the Equinox Bronze paint colour4, previously available only on Everest. “From the new hero paint colour to the design of the 20-inch alloys and the premium Silk Chrome trims, we wanted Ranger Platinum to look like a luxury vehicle,” said Max Tran, Ford Ranger, Chief Designer.

Ranger Platinum will come with Ford’s Flexible Rack System which consists of Folding Roof Racks and a firstto-market patent-pending Sliding Load Rack. The roof racks feature crossbars that swing across the roof when needed, can be adjusted to two different lengths, and then stored away in the roof rails when not being used. The clever Sliding Load Rack can be operated by one person and locks into five different positions along the length of the load box. A pop-up crossbar increases the height of the loading platform to match the Folding Roof Racks.